The World Humanoid Robot Games, a five-day event in Beijing, showcased China's advancements in humanoid robotics, featuring android martial artists and robot sprinters that reportedly ran faster than Usain Bolt. The event, which included boxing and breakdancing, displayed a mix of effectiveness and failures, with some robots experiencing mechanical issues.
International experts described China's engineering progress as "staggering," particularly in developing humanoid bodies. Thrishantha Nanayakkara, a professor of robotics at Imperial College London, noted that progress from last year was significant, with the fastest sprinter, Tiangong Ultra, completing the 100m more than twice as fast as in 2025.
The games involved over 2,000 humanoids built by more than 660 mostly domestic tech companies. While the event demonstrated progress in specialist humanoids, such as fast runners or good boxers, experts stressed that the robots are not yet generalist, partly due to limitations in AI models processing the physical world's complexity. Wang Xingxing, founder of Unitree, suggested it could be a decade before humanoid technology becomes generally useful.
The event also served as a display of China's robotics capabilities ahead of a summit between President Xi Jinping and Donald Trump, where tech supremacy is expected to be a key topic. Last month, Trump reportedly banned imports of Chinese humanoids and four-legged robot dogs due to cyber and national security concerns. The games coincided with reports that Elon Musk's Optimus humanoid has entered production this month.